Rat trap



June 19, 1934.

R. c. BURNLEY 1,963,435

RAT TRAP Filed July 10, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AB L LT *1 N F? igl iaerz 65550 55 R ATTOR N EY June 19, 1934. R. c. BURNLEY RAT TRAP Filed July 10, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 the line 44 of Figure 2, the line 3--3 in Figure the springs and protect them against accidental Patented June 19, 1 934 r v 1 iumreo PAT NT or F1 TI A e, Roberto. Burnley, Louisville, Ky. Application duly 10,1 1933; Seri'al No'.'.679,791 V Claims.(Cl." 43'- 61) This invention relates to traps and has for its derstood. The door 11 is provided with a lug object the provision of asimple, compact and efor offset 15 on its inner side which may, be en'- ficient device whereby animals may be, trapped, gaged by the hook or latch 10while the trap, and humanely killed. H is being set and after-the trap is setpwill be 5 The device is intended'in particular for trapsupported by resting upon-the shorter. end .of a

' 'pingsmallanimals, such as rats and seeks to triparm or lever 16. The trip arm ,or'lever provide such a device which will operate with,v 16 is pivoted near the end wall 13 by-a pin'orprecision and which will close the trap-t other bolt- 17 suitably mounted within the body of, animalsafter the trappingand killing of an 'ani-, the trap and the lever is weighted, as shown at,

,1 v q 18, at and near thepivot so that it will efiec-g Ajtrap embodying the invention-is illustrated tually sustain the door in raised, position until, inthe accompanyingdrawings and will be hereit is released by the trap rnechanism Open-,- inafter fully set forth and defined. ings 19 are provided in the sides of the; trap In the drawings: body between the ends'thereof' to accommodate Figure 1 is a top plan view of a trap embodytheprojecting ends of ananimal killing-medium 7O ingthe present invention. V. r p 20, retractile springs 21-being attached at their Figure 2 is 'anend view of the-same. p upper ends to said projecting ends of the me- Figure-3 is a transverse section. dium v andat their lower ends to the base of Figure 4 is a ,central longitudinal section on the trap, as clearly shown in Figure 3. To house 4 indicating; the planeupon' which the section blows which might-break them orfdamage them:

shown in Figure 3 is taken. to such extent that they would not operate, hous- Figure 5 is a view, partly in plan and partly ings 22 are secured in the sides of the trap body, as V in section, with the top of the trap removed. shown. The medium 20 is provided with a vertir In carrying out the invention, there is procal slot 23 between its upper and lower ends 'vided a casing 1 which will preferably be conwhich receives the end of the trip lever 16, as structed of sheet metal in order tov reduce the will be understood uponrreference to Figures 3 cost and attain durability. This casing is prefand 4, the end of the lever resting upon the erably of oblong form and is provided at one lower end of the slot and upon a cross brace 24" 30,.end with a door 2 of rightangular form havwhich is secured to the medium 20. This brace 85,;

ing one side adapted to constitute an end wall 24 may conveniently be a portion of a strap of of the trap when the door is closed and ansheet metal which is doubled upon itself at the other side which forms part of the top of the ends of the brace and includes a pair of-paral trap when the door is closed. The door is pivlel arms 25 which extend from the medium 20 tooted, as at 3, at the free edge of its upper side ward the open end of the body or the door 2and and'upon its vertical side is equipped with a are pivoted between their ends, as shown at 26, latch 4 which is adapted to engage a perforated to a standard 2'? which is erected upon the floor of lug 5 on the top of the trap when the door is the trap. This standard may also be of sheet to be held in open position during setting of metal and hasaportion struck therefrom and 4o, the trap. Another door 6 extends from a point turned laterally, as shown at 28, to constitute a adjacent the pivot 3 to a point near the oppoguide for an arm 29 rising from the lever 30 site end of the body of the trap, thissecond which carries the treadle31. The treadle 31 'door or roof beingpivoted, at 7, in the same manand its lever 30 are normally held in the posiner that the door 2 is pivoted and carrying the tion shown in Figure 4 by a trigger 32 which is lug 5, as shown. Near its free end the door 6 secured to and depends from the arms 25 and 199,

' is slotted or formed with an opening 8 to accomcarries a cross pin 33 at its lower end which is modate a bracket 9 which is secured within the normally engaged by a hook-like extension 34 trap and carries a latch or hook 10 which is of the lever 30. The trigger in the set position adapted to be engaged with a trap door 11 when engages a stop pin 34" which passes through a 5 0,it is desired to hold said door in raised position notch 35 in the edge of the trigger so that sway- 195 e while, setting the trap. The door 11-is a sliding ing of'the trigger until it is released by the lever plate mounted in suitable guides 12 onthe fixed 30 will be prevented. The'notch 35 is of such end wall 13 of the trap; an opening 14 being form that when the treadle and its lever are formed in said end wall to admit an animal unrocked, the trigger may readily disengage from 1ess it is covered by the door 11, as will be unthe restraining pin 33.

When the trap is to be set, bait is placed upon the pan 31' adjacent the treadle and the bait lever is engaged with the pin 33 on the trigger, as shown in Figure 4, and as will be understood, it being noted that during the operation of setting the trap the door 2 is in the raised or open position so that access may be had to the interior of the trap through the open end thereof. When the trigger is engaged with the lever 30, the trigger arms 25 will be brought into the horizontal position, shown in Figure 4, and the inner end of the trip lever 16 will be raised, the killing medium 20 being also raised inasmuch as it is rigidly secured to the trigger arms and must follow the movement thereof. When the medium 20 is raised and the trigger is set the springs 21 will be put under tension so that if the trigger be released, the medium 20 will be at once freed. When the trap is set the door 11- will be held in its raised position by the lip or lug 15' resting upon the shorter end of the trip lever 16; as shown. When the trigger is released the member 20 at once drops under the" influence of the springs 21 and consequently the inner end of the t'rip'lever 16 will be unsupported and will be swung downwardly through its engagement with the upper end of the slot 23. This movenient will slightly raise the door 11 until the short end of the lever has cleared the lug or lip 15, whereupon the door will drop by gravity thereby preventing the entrance of a second animal. The animal which first entered and stepped on the treadle to reach the bait so as to spring the trap will be directly under the killing medium 20 so that the descent of the latter by the influence of the springs will be with such force as' to kill the animal quickly and humanely.

Should it be necessary at any time to clean or repairthe trap and any of the parts coopcrating therewith the large door or' pivoted roof Gmay be readily swung upwardly and over onto the door 2, thereby exposing the greater portion of the interior of the trap.

The trap is very simple in construction and operates efliciently at all times.

What is claimed is:

1. A trap comprising a body, a treadle lever pivotally mounted within the body, trigger arms pivotally mounted in the body above the lever, a trigger carried by and depending from the inner ends of the trigger arms and adapted at its lower ends to engage the lever, a killing medium carried by the opposite ends of the trigger arms, and yieldable means for driving the killing medium upon release of the trigger.

2; A trap comprising a body, a killing medium mounted for vertical movement, a door slidably mountedupon an end of the body, a trip lever pivoted adjacent the end of the body and adapted atone end to engage and support the sliding door, the inner end of the trip lever being engaged with the killing medium, trigger" arms seccured to the'killing'medium and pivotally mount} ed between their ends Withinthe body,-a' trigger secured to and depending from the inner ends of the trigger arms-and a treadle lever pivotal- 1y mounted below the trigger arms and having one end normally engaged with the lower end of the trigger.

3. A trap comprising a body, a' treadle lever pivotally mounted within the body adjacent the bottom of the same,-tr'ig ger' arms pivotally'mourit ed between their ends above the treadle lever, a trigger secured to and depending from the inner ends of the trigger arms and adapted at its lower end to be engaged by the treadle lever, a killing medium secured to the opposite ends of the trigger arm's, and having projections at its upper end, retractile springs attachedto'said projections and to the bottom of the trap, and housings on the sides of the'trap for said springs.

' ROBERT C. BURNLEY. 

